1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an information processing apparatus in which a printer connected to a network is connected to a plurality of networks, a network printing system using such an information processing apparatus, its control method, and a storage medium in which its control program has been stored.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, personal computers in an office are remarkably spread and a network technique for connecting them is also developed. As a using method of a printer as well, hitherto, although one printer has been connected to one personal computer and used, in recent years, in many cases, printers are connected to a network and are commonly used by the personal computers connected to the network.
As an environment using a network printer, there are many cases where a network OS such as netware, Windows NT (registered trademark), or the like is used and a print server is set and used. In order to share the printer, however, a server has to be installed. Hitherto, even when there is a server, if a function of a print server is added, there is a problem such that the function of the conventional server is deteriorated.
To solve those problems, a virtual server system is considered. In the virtual server system, since the server does not receive print data from a client but executes only a control of a printing order of print jobs, a load as a print server is reduced and the deterioration of the function of the conventional server can be prevented.
In the above conventional apparatus, however, since a scheduling of jobs can be performed on a virtual print server in spite of a fact that a client has print data, there is a problem such that when the virtual print server fails, a print-out from the client cannot be performed. To solve it, a method of directly transmitting data to the printer from the client when a fault occurs in the server is considered. According to this method, however, the scheduling of the jobs is not performed.